Thousands protest in Spain after death of 87-year-old woman evicted from Madrid home
María del Carmen Abascal, known as Maricarmen, died two weeks after being removed by stretcher from the Madrid apartment where she had lived for more than seven decades. Her eviction triggered nationwide protests over Spain's housing crisis and preceded a snap general election.
Thousands of people have taken to the streets across Spain following the death of María del Carmen Abascal, an 87-year-old woman whose eviction from her Madrid home became a symbol of the country's deepening housing crisis. Abascal, widely known as Maricarmen, died two weeks after police and social workers removed her by stretcher from the apartment where she had lived for more than seventy years.
Her death was confirmed on Tuesday, according to reports, and news of it spread rapidly through activist networks and opposition political circles. Within hours, demonstrations were held in Madrid and other cities, with protesters gathering outside government buildings and in central squares to demand stronger protections for vulnerable tenants. The case has intensified a national debate over eviction practices, rental costs and the availability of social housing.
Abascal had been in hospital since 23 September, the day she was evicted from the property in Madrid. Police and social workers entered the home and removed her on a stretcher before transporting her to an ambulance. The image of the elderly woman being carried from the building, which had been her residence for over seven decades, was widely shared and quickly became a focal point for housing campaigners.
The eviction set off a wave of protests against Spain's housing crisis, with activists arguing that the case exposed systemic failures in the protection of elderly and low-income residents. The demonstrations grew in scale and intensity, drawing attention to rising rents, limited public housing stock and the difficulties faced by long-term tenants in remaining in their homes. The political impact was immediate: the controversy contributed to the calling of a snap general election, as the government came under pressure to respond to public anger.
In the weeks since the eviction, housing activists have established encampments in Madrid and other cities, demanding urgent reforms. At a camp in the capital, campaigners expressed wary hopes that the early election would produce a government willing to act on the housing emergency. The slogan «Now is the moment» has been used by activists to press for legislative changes, including stronger rent controls and measures to prevent evictions of vulnerable people.
Abascal's death has added new momentum to those demands. Protesters have described her as a symbol of the human cost of the housing crisis, and her case has been cited in parliamentary debates and media coverage across the country. The circumstances of her eviction, and the subsequent hospitalisation, have raised questions about the procedures followed by local authorities and the adequacy of support offered to elderly residents facing removal.
The Spanish government has not yet issued a detailed response to the latest developments, but the issue is expected to remain high on the political agenda ahead of the election. Opposition parties have seized on the case to criticise the administration's housing policies, while activists have vowed to continue demonstrating until concrete measures are introduced.
Abascal's death marks a sombre turn in a story that has already reshaped Spanish politics. Her eviction from the Madrid apartment after more than seventy years of residence turned a private tragedy into a national symbol, and her passing is likely to intensify calls for reform. As protests continue, the case serves as a stark reminder of the pressures facing tenants in Spain's increasingly unaffordable housing market.
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